Many programs in computing devices such as personal computers or smart phones feature editable content items displayed in the form of a list. A lot of times, selection of such items has to be done individually for each item, such as by checking a checkbox or tapping on the item. Such selection methods are prone to errors in both user side and machine side, and are not reliable and convenient to use, especially when a large number of items are to be selected. Therefore a simpler and more intuitive method for selecting multiple items at a time is desired to improve the efficiency of the user interacting with the content items.